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Honest John
Name: '''Lowell Q. Pierce "Honest John" '''Title: True King of Autumn Court: Autumn Apparent Age: 30's (hard to place) Seeming: '''Wizened/Elemental '''Kith: Artist/Manikin Clarity: 7 Wyrd: '''8 ~ 9 '''Mask: *In his human guise John is made of sharp angles and carefully defined edges. He tends towards outfits that straddle the line between formal and casual, vests, cardigans, and tweed. In addition he has an oft indulged preference for anachronisms in his outfits, vastly preferring cravats and scarves to ties and a tendency to wear khaki's tucked into spats. In most instances he cuts a dashing figure, though when mixing with unknowing mortals he tends to eschew the Ponchos and mantles many Lost have come to associate with him. The features that frame his intense electric blue eyes are similarly sharp, his nose is not over large, but is sharply pointed. His affectations lead him to keep a meticulously maintained goatee. His hair is the color of chestnuts, through he tends to do little it beyond sweeping it out of his eyes. Even to the unensorcelled, his ears seems suspiciously pointed. Even in solely mortal company John almost always wears the Scarf and Autumn pin that is the mark of an Autumn Court Elder. Mien: *Among the Lost John much prefers fine but tasteful vests and edging that has an autumn leaf pattern, his wardrobe consisting almost solely of earthy oranges, browns, and deep reds, with accents in deep purple and slate blue. John's features shift in composition under his mask, if not in design. His frame is thin and his movements are all measured, as though made with clockwork precision. His hands bear marks that show where they could have been assembled. His eyes glow with a faint electric blue, this glow is also visible through a needle thin streak that runs from the bottom of each eye, and down his cheeks to and under his jaw. On John's brow are two delicate and short horns that rise and curve slightly backwards, mechanical in nature they are seemingly composed of stacked metal rings, becoming progressivly smaller at each layer to form a tapering effect. Each ring contains a single small nubby thorn, these bumps to not align or form an obvious patter, as though the rings have randomly rotated. The overall effect is less a beast, and more akin to a victorian stage devil or imp. *John is an infamously gifted Hedge Spinner. Any outfit he wears among the lost, and likely in mortal company, is almost certainly something he crafted himself and is thus potentially an item of power. John is also known to be able to create Tokens, he wields them with a familiarity and comfort that some can find disconcerting. *When the King of Autumn's Mantle manifests it reveals itself in a manner befitting a reserved Monarch of the season of hauntings an magic. Generally John is surrounded by the scent of Jackolanterns and a exhilerating chill like some anticipated suprise, often footsteps in his presence sound as though one is walking through brittle fallen leaves. When John engages in powerful magic or is highly emotional he becomes surrounded by phantasmal motes of candle flame and is attended by illuminated but disembodied Jack o'lantern visages, loose articles of his clothing are frequently whipped by a phantom breeze that does not touch others, though the chill is felt as though it were.. Role: *There are those who have made the claim that John is the best ruler the Court of Autumn, as it exists in San Francisco, has ever had. Some have pressed this to the point of heresy by claiming that he is more effective than even True Thomas the Rhymer, the first Autumn King of the city. John has ruled the Court of Autumn fairly and with unquestionable skill since he claimed the throne shortly after coming to San Francisco from Oakland. This perhaps ended up being his greatest weakness, so great is the confidence placed in him that his dissapearance did not raise concern for months. Even if presented with evidence to the contrary, many would rather believe that Honest John was held prisoner because he allowed it as part of some scheme rather than believe he could be so held, even unto refusing to send aid and risk ruining his plan. *There are precious few in the city of Sanf Francisco who could challenge John for the title of most powerful Sorcerer in the city, though John himself would humbly deny this. Many assume that he could match the Lapin Lord, in skill if not in raw power. *John's personality is reserved and kind. As him name suggests he seems to speak only the truth, though he is very good at indicating sarcasm with his tone of voice. He is good humored and quik to smile, often being found funny without intending to, though is most assuredly not good at jokes. He does not typically put on airs or "pull rank", though he does realize that in most situations he is by far one of the most well informed people present and thus best equipped to make hard choices. By and large he seems to be good company. The flip side of this is that all of these things seem to be true until John needs them not to be. He is the King of the court of fear, and those who earn his ire are in a truly frightening position indeed. John is fully capable of being very horrifying, and it is when he has stopped bothering to not be so that one must truly worry. History: *Where John Came from is well known, as it caused a great deal of sensationalism when he arrived, for John escaped from the Thorns into Oakland, not Fan Francisco. When John emerged from the hedge is less clear, rumors persist that he appeared in Oakland in the early 90's. Stories insist that John, still quite young in mortal appearance and appearing to be in his late teens, was found by agents of the Hag and expected to become a Special Child. Common folklore state that John was never a Special Child, quickly becoming of special interest to the Hag when he revealed what his durance had consisted of. The Hag's intrigue led to him becoming a fixture in her "court", though on exactly what role he served there the stories deviate wildly. *After some largely unknown falling out John is said to have denounced the Hag. Stories from those who were present insist that he berated her for her unspeakable cruelty and vile machinations before her assembled attendants. It is said that the Hag moved to strike him down with unspeakable power. Those who retell the story claim that they Hag claimed that when she was through with him she would keep his tongue and make it into a bauble that would only speak truths to her. In the nature of tall tales, it is said John looked over his shoulder at her, and said with a smile, "And yet futile, truth alone is more than insult enough for one such as you.". Regardless of what the exchange actually entailed, John walked from Oakland and across the Bay bridge unaccosted by any force of agent of the Hag. It is known fact that the Hag had all those in attendance to her that day who witnessed the event blinded for having been party to it, though what stayed her hand in regards to John is unknown. *When John crossed the Bridge he was instantly suspected of being a spy of the Hag, despite the fact that even then he already demonstrated a substantial Autumn mantle. John served as a Librarian and Sorcerer for among the Autumn Court. Despite initial distrust, Autumn appreciates skill. Though the Exploratorium was already solidly recognized as the seat of Autumn power in the city, John spearheaded the movement to establish additional power bases throughout the city,famously claiming Coit Tower, and the SF Main Library as Autumn Holdings and public gates to the Grim Library. John is well known as one of the voices that spoke loudest for again opening the Grim Library to members of other Courts. He was also the brainchild behind arranging the network of Ghost tours throughout the city that still serve as reliable sources of glamour for Autumn courtiers, with Chinatown and Alcatraz being the Crown Jewels. *John's acsension to the throne occurred when the previous Autumn Queen stepped down. The popular tale is that she suggested him for rulership and all the assembled Autumn Elders and courtiers agreed. In truth though the exact details of John's claiming of the crown have never been shared with outsiders by the Autumn Court. *John had ruled as an established monarch for some time when the events leading up to the War of Weeping Eyes finally erupted. His role in the war was well documented, most famously in the tale where in he and the Hag faced each other in sorcerous combat from opposite sides of the Bay Bridge. Popular legend states that this clashing of wills resulted in the damage still seen to the structure of the Hedge's manifestation of the Bridge. Many younger changelings believe this tale from the war to be more tall tale than fact, but as always opinions vary and the war was a strange time. *John has never hidden the fact that his durance was spent as a maker of fetches. He has seldom felt the need to elaborate on the details of this, or his experiements to reverse engineer the process. The sympathy John occasionally displays towards Fetches is often attributed to this intimate history with them, though it does little to comfort other changelings who frequently find the mindset unsettling. Motley: *The Lapin Lord (assumed) *Richter Grint (assumed) *Mommy Long Legs (Formerly) *???? Known Contracts (Assumed/Potentially) *Foolish to Presume Pledges (Rumored) *Foolish to Presume